Train-pipe coupling.



1. BLACKBURN.

TRAIN PIPE COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED MAY26. 1913..

Patented Nov. 2, 1915;

3 SHEETSSHEET 1- COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH CO.,WASHXNGTON, D. c.

.I. BLACKBURN.

TRAIN PIPE COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED MAY26. I913.

1,158,979. Patented Nov. 2, 1915 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO.,WASHXNGTON. D. 0,

w m a J. BLACKBURN:

TRAlN PIPE COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED MAY26.19I3.

1,1 58,970. Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

:iaamwgg g m;

miiihlxmm $1M 4/ UNITED s'ra'r s PATENT oF IcE; 1

JASPER BLACKBURN, or KIRKWOOD, MISSOURL.

I TRAIN-PIPE COUPLING.

To'allwhomz'trnay a v 7 Be it known that I, JASPER BLACKBURN, a citizenof the United States, and resident of Kirkwood, St. Louis county, Missouri, have invented'certain new and useful Improvements in Train-PipeCouplings, of which the following isa specification containing a 1 full,'clear, and exact description, reference being .had to the accompanying drawings,

forming a part hereof. Y

My invention relates to improvements in train pipe couplings, and the obj'ectof'my invention is to construct a train pipe coue will be hereinafter more fully described,

'p'ling of two members which are each provided with a pivoted knuckle constructed along the lines of the approved car couplers of the J anney type, and to construct-each'of the knuckles with a passage way arranged to be connected with the train pipes and with gasketed orifices at their terminals to form fluid tight joints between the passag ways of the two knuckles.

-, A further and more specific object of my invention is to arrange means in connection with the knuckles whereby, when the act of coupling the cars is accomplished, the train pipe terminals will 'beautomatically cou- 2 pled, and also-to arrange means whereby,

when the'cars are uncoupled the train pipes will be automatically uncoupled.

With the above purposes in view my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts as pointed out in the vclaimsand illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which .Figure 1 is an elevation showing portions of two cars equipped with train pipe couplings constructed according :to my 1n-' vention F ig. 2 is a plan partly in section of two of my improved train. pipe couplingmembers in acoupledjposition, the carrier of one of the couplingmembers being I vomitted; Fig. 3 is a simplelongitudinal sectional elevation of'the train pipecoupling members as shown in Fig.2; Fig. 4 is an .end elevation of one of the coupling carry? ing-devices, the coupling shank being shown insection on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an enlarged, detail sectional elevation taken-0nthe line 5--5 of Fig; 3;]Fig. '6 is a plan of one of my improved knuckles V v Specification of Letters Patent. Y Patente d NOV. 2, 1915. v I

. Application filed May 26, 1913. Serial No. 770,010. l

which is partly in section to'show one of-the I vertical guides; and Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional elevation of the knuckle taken on the line7'7 of Fig. 6.

Referring by numerals-to the accompanying drawings 18' designates hangers which are secured to the shanks 9 of the car'coup-ler-heads 10;" The hangers 8 are preferably in pairs. Between each pair :of hang ers there is shank-guide and spring hous N ing 11, preferably constructed in halves which are united by bolts so that they may be readily'separated for purposes of facilitating both assembling and repairing- -Extending through. the shank-guide and spring housing 11 is a shank 12 having a portionof its length noncircular and the remainder reduced and preferably circular.

Embracing the circular portion of the shank there is an extensile coil "spring13 which impinges' the noncircular portion of the shank I. I

at one end and the housing 11 at its other end. In order to limit the movement of the shank and to prevent its withdrawal from the housing 11 there is a stop in the form of a nut 11 secured to the end of the shank which projects through the housing. At the forward end of the shank there is a bearing 15 and'pivotallv mounted in said bearing is a plate 16 having forwardly'extending' guides 17 between which a vertically movable plate 18 is-mounted.-

t 19 designates rollers arranged between the plates 16 and 18, in order that the plate 18 may move freely relative to the plate 16. l

' At the lowermost end of the plate 18 there may have movement above or desired elevation. v 1

Fixed to and movable with the plate 18 by means of the screws 22 is a hollow cou pler-head 23. Arranged Within the hollow head there is a knuckle or movable jaw 24 which is v pivotally. secured to the head'by means of a knuckle-pin 25. Formed integral with the knuckle there is an extension 26 to plate 18 at the desired elevation so that it below the said the rear of its pivotal point, which carries at its rearmost end a plurality of teeth 27 which are arranged to be engaged by a spring actuated pawl 28 carried by the head 23 to lock the knuckle in a coupled position. Formed in the rearward extension 26 of the knuckle there is a cavity 29 arranged to receive an extensile coil spring 30 which impinges the inner end of the cavity 29 and the head 23 to serve as a knuckle opener and is arranged to normally hold the knuckle in an open position. The opening in the knuckle embracing the knuckle-pin 25 is preferably a slot 31, in order that there may be a slight movement of the knuckle longitudinally of the head. Formed in the side wall of the head 28 there is a slot 32 and there isone or more cavities 35 and in the end of the cavity in the forward face of the knuckle there is gasket 36. At the oppositeend of the cavity in the lowermost face of the knuckle there is secured a nipple 37 to which is secured a flexible hose 38 having at one end a detachable hose-coupling member 39 arranged to connect with a companion hose-coupling member 40 secured to the nipple 37. At the otherv end the hose 38 is secured to a train pipe 41.

Carried by the vertically movable plate '18 is a bearing 42 in which is pivotally mounted a bell-crank 43, one arm of which is pivotally connected with the pawl 28- and its other arm connected with the hanger 8 by means of a chain 44, or the like.

The coupler-head has on one side a tongue 45 and at its other side a notch 46 which serve as means, when two coupler-heads are brought together, to guide the heads to occupy the same vertical plane and, in order that the knuckles of the two heads be brought to the exact vertical plane so that the gasketed orifices are in perfect registration, each knuckle has a notch 47 and a web 48 which, when the knuckles are coupled, gain the knuckles to positions occupying the same vertical plane. By reason of the pivotal connection between the coupler-head and its supporting shank the heads may swing as required in rounding curves or the like, but in order that the coupler-heads be normally held in positions alining with the cars the plate 16 is provided with a pair of wings 49 which extend rearwardly along the sides of the shank 12. I Interposed between the wings 49 and the shank are the extensile coil springs 50 which bear outwardly upon the wings and thereby hold the coupler-head parallel with the car.

Arranged within eachcoupler-head there is a leaf spring 51 which bears against the knuckles to hold the gaskets in the train pipe terminals in fluid tight connection.

In the practical operation of my improved train pipe coupling, assuming two cars to be equipped with the couplers as shown and described and it be desired to couple them, the two heads are brought together and the knuckles will interengage and be brought to interlocking positions in a manner common to the ordinary car couplers. This bringing of the knuckles to interlocking positions accomplishes the act of automatically coupling two train pipe terminals and, by reason of the springs 51 which bear against the knuckles in directions to compress the gaskets at the terminals 01": the train pipes, the train pipe terminals are held in fluid tight connection with each other. For the reason that the knuckles have a limited degree of longitudinal play relative to, the heads and the heads are yieldingly carried longitudinally relative to the car, the'train pipe terminals are not subjected to the longitudinal play between the cars and the-car coupling means. When it is desired to uncouple the cars the simple operation of uncoupling the car coupling-members is first performed and the cars then drawn apart, which permits the springs 13 to bear outwardly on the shanks 12 and move the coupler-heads away from the cars so that the chains 44 will become taut, thereby rocking the bell-cranks 43 to accomplish the release of the pawl 28 from the teeth or rack carried by the extension of the knuckles, which releases the knuckles so that they will be automatically uncoupled when the cars are separated. lVhile I have referred to a single terminal in each knuckle it is obvious'from the drawings that each coupler may be equipped with any desired number of train pipe terminals. In the drawings three terminals are shown which are all that are now commonly used for thepurpose of connecting steam pipe terminals, air brake pipe terminals and air signal pipe terminals.

I claim:

. 1. In a train pipe coupling, a shank yieldingly mounted for movements lengthwise of a car, an element pivotally carried. by the shank so that it may be swung laterally, an element vertically slidably carried by said pivoted element, a coupler head carried by said sliding element, a pivoted knuckle carried by said coupler head, and a train pipe terminal carried by the knuckle.

2. In combination With a pair of cars each having a coupling means and a train pipe, a shank yieldingly carried by each car for movement s longitudinally thereof, a head In testimony whereofQI have signed my pivotally secured to each shank to swing name to this specification, in presence of laterally relative to the shanks, means two subscribing witnesses.

whereby each head may be vertically yield- JASPER BLACKBURN. ingly carried by each shank, a pivotedknuc- Witnesses:

kle carried by each head and train pipe ter- E. L. WAL ACE,- minals carried by each knuckle. I V G. BUTLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each; by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. GK 

